EYE OF THE STORM Report of the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas John Sharp, Commissioner BOARD OF REGENTS Charles W. Schwartz, Chairman Elaine Mendoza, Vice Chairman Phil Adams Robert Albritton Anthony G. Buzbee Morris E. Foster Tim Leach William “Bill” Mahomes Cliff Thomas Ervin Bryant, Student Regent John Sharp, Chancellor NOVEMBER 2018 FOREWORD On September 1 of last year, as Hurricane Harvey began to break up, I traveled from College Station to Austin at the request of Governor Greg Abbott. The Governor asked me to become Commissioner of something he called the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas. The Governor was direct about what he wanted from me and the new commission: “I want you to advocate for our communities, and make sure things get done without delay,” he said. I agreed to undertake this important assignment and set to work immediately. On September 7, the Governor issued a proclamation formally creating the commission, and soon after, the Governor and I began traveling throughout the affected areas seeing for ourselves the incredible destruction the storm inflicted Before the difficulties our communities faced on a swath of Texas larger than New Jersey. because of Harvey fade from memory, it is critical that Since then, my staff and I have worked alongside we examine what happened and how our preparation other state agencies, federal agencies and local for and response to future disasters can be improved. communities across the counties affected by Hurricane In this report, we try to create as clear a picture of Harvey to carry out the difficult process of recovery and Hurricane Harvey as possible. We document how the rebuilding. storm developed and how it affected our state. We More than a year has now passed. We know now also offer a frank assessment of the federal, state and what we only suspected on September 1, 2017: Harvey local response and recommendations for how Texas was one of the worst disasters in U.S. history. It caused can be better prepared to withstand future disasters. at least $125 billion in damage in Texas, more than The report is both a record of a milestone event in the any other natural disaster except Hurricane Katrina. state’s history and a guide to “future-proofing” our state Thousands of Texans were left to salvage what they to mitigate the impact of future Harveys. could. Ultimately, it produced the largest disaster Hurricane Harvey was an inestimable tragedy for response in Texas history, and I am proud to have been many Texans, but the lessons it taught us should not be part of the response. forgotten or ignored. In the past year, much has been accomplished, but much remains to be done before Texas can declare John Sharp itself fully recovered from the devastation of a few days Commissioner at the end of last summer. But Texans are resilient, and The Governor’s Commission to eventually all will be set right. Rebuild Texas EYE OF THE STORM Report of the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast just before 10 pm on August 25, 2017. The storm came ashore just northeast of Corpus Christi and quickly devastated Texas coastal communities with 130 mile-per-hour winds and a six-foot storm surge. From there, the storm moved eastward, leaving a path of destruction that covered an area of Texas the size of New Jersey. By the time the storm left the state, dozens of Texas counties and millions of Texans had been affected. As part of his effort to respond quickly and effectively partners, based on hundreds of hours of interviews and in the storm’s aftermath, Governor Greg Abbott created after-action reports. It provides a detailed account of the Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas headed the storm and offers recommendations for improving by Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp. our response to future disasters. The commission’s role was to “oversee the response and The clearest and most important message we took relief effort between the state and local governments to from the commission’s work is that Hurricane Harvey ensure victims of the storm get everything they need as was a warning we should heed. The magnitude of the quickly as possible” and to be “involved in the rebuilding devastation caused by the storm is almost unimaginable process, focusing on restoring roads, bridges, schools to those who didn’t live through it or visit the disaster and government buildings in impacted communities.” area repeatedly, as Governor Abbott and Commissioner This report of the commission describes how our Sharp did in the weeks following the storm. The state responded to the disaster, and how Texans began enormous toll on individuals, businesses and public the long road to recovery. The report is the product infrastructure should provide a wakeup call underlining of months of effort by the commission and its many the urgent need to “future-proof” the Gulf Coast — and EYE OF THE STORM EXECUTIVE SUMMARY V indeed all of Texas — against future disasters. This assistance programs and simplify the inevitable report includes the commission’s recommendations mountains of paperwork. about how we can begin this process. We also need to help individual Texans be We found that Texas is a national leader in better prepared by providing them with better and responding to disasters, whether a hurricane along more accessible information about future risks. the Gulf Coast or a Panhandle wildfire. Emergency We need to stop making the old mistakes in local management in Texas is highly organized and development that expose homes and businesses well run by professionals who know their jobs and to risks that only become apparent when disaster move quickly and decisively. However, we have strikes. To paraphrase the old saying, an ounce identified ways the state can improve the current of preparation is worth a pound of cure. system by unifying the state’s response and recovery We must make the Texas Gulf Coast — and indeed the responsibilities, and by providing better information, entire state — more resilient and better able to withstand training and more effective application of emerging future disasters, whether the threat comes from hurricanes, technologies. Texas must be an innovator in the field tornadoes, wildfires, flooding or other disasters, a process of emergency management as well as a leader. Governor Abbott has called “future-proofing” our state. We particularly need to do a better job during the The effects of an event like Harvey can’t be long and difficult process of recovery — what is done in eliminated but they can be reduced. With billions of the weeks and months after a disaster to restore Texans, federal, state and local dollars being spent in Texas to their communities and economies to a point where they repair and replace what Harvey destroyed, it is essential are as good as or better than before disaster struck. that we don’t simply replace what was destroyed In this regard, the task ahead matches the but that we also increase the state’s resilience. As Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Commissioner Sharp said last year: “Future-proofing the national strategic priorities: To build a culture of state’s coastal areas requires a long-term commitment preparedness, to be ready for future disasters, and investment to improve the resiliency of our and to reduce complexity. communities and institutions. To succeed, the task Texas also needs to be better prepared for future needs both the continued partnership and financial disasters. Harvey was a tragedy for many Texans, support of the federal government.” but it also taught us valuable lessons about how to To accomplish this, we must do a better job of setting build a state that is ready for future challenges. We priorities and identifying the key improvements that should not allow the opportunity for improvement can contribute to a more resilient Texas. That means to pass without action. We need to ensure that maintaining an inventory of what needs to be done state capabilities for emergency response are when funding is available. It means creating an effective organized, trained and equipped for whatever state-local planning process for improvement of our challenges lie ahead. We need to have better infrastructure and our communities, both along the trained local officials and emergency managers. coast and, again, in all of Texas. Accomplishing these goals requires better Future-proofing Texas means recognizing that communication with the communities affected by a the future is uncertain and that investing in strategic disaster, better and timelier assistance to survivors, improvements now in recognition of future uncertainties is better coordination of recovery efforts, stronger not only a good idea, but also good policy. partnerships with the federal agencies that provide In 1900, the most devastating hurricane in U.S. funding and assistance during major disasters, and history swept Galveston, killing between 6,000 and improved strategies for bringing state and federal 12,000 people. While many storms have lashed the resources to bear in time of need. island since then, many fewer people have suffered For example, during Hurricane Harvey, Texas and much less damage has been done. The reason for A&M AgriLife Extension Service agents in a new role this can be attributed to two lessons learned in that aided state-local communications by serving as a tragic year. First, the people of Galveston were better “force multiplier” for professionals already in the field prepared and took approaching storms more seriously. and working with city and county officials on a daily And second, they elevated an entire island and built a basis.